Real Racing 3: How To Make & Save More Money

Our guide to staying on the road in this freemium racer.

The freemium model used in EA's Real Racing 3 has certainly divided gamers, and it couldn't help but take some of the shine off our review last month. There are ways to maximize your up-time in the game though, and so we've put together some top hints and tips for staying on the road.

- Getting a second car as quickly as possible might seem like strange money-saving advice to give, but once you've got two cars in your garage you get a lot more time on the track. That means you've got a lot more opportunities to earn money, and with a couple of low-performance cars running in tandem, you should rarely find yourself short of something to do.

- The cleaner you drive, the less damage you'll incur. EA may have removed the timers for on-road damage, but you'll still have to pay out of your winnings to get your vehicle back to peak condition. The most important thing to do is get ahead of the pack as quickly as possible on the opening straights, while taking extreme caution at the first corner.

- While the starting cars are fairly equal in performance, we recommend picking the Silvia for its superior acceleration and braking attributes. The former will get you ahead of the dangerous pack more quickly, and the latter will save you from frustrating pangs against the AI.

- If you want to make money, you're going to have to drive at your peak performance. That means becoming less reliant on the various assists in the game, and taking more direct control over your vehicle. Experiment with bringing down the assists by degrees until you find a balance between performance and your own ability.

- Repairs take the same amount of time regardless of the condition each component is in. Don't waste your money or your racing time by putting cars into repair while the damage meters are still green. The ultimate aim is to always have one car available at any one time, so that you're never prevented from getting stuck into another event.

- Once you've got a fair number of cars in your garage, it can become hard to keep track of every timer and repair job. Our advice is to simply put every vehicle into repair before you go to bed - that way you'll have a full roster of vehicles available for when you start your next game session.

- If you've got a lot of Game Center friends, considering racing online. The Time Shifted Multiplayer will always make use of your friends for AI times if possible, and you'll receive bonus currency for beating them.